Two conservative Santa Ana City Council members who recently voted against police raises are facing recall initiatives.

But before the signature gathering begins, the recall petitions against Cecilia Iglesias and Juan Villegas have hit various snags, with accusations flying from all sides about the process and who is behind it. A court hearing is scheduled this week on one petition and a complaint is expected to be filed with the Orange County District Attorney’s office on the other.

Recall notices filed in Santa Ana City Hall accuse Iglesias and Villegas of an alleged failure to staff local police. Other issues cited include President Trump’s immigration policies and the council members’ alleged support of “separating children from their families and building a border wall.”

In the Latino-majority city, accusations involving Trump’s immigration policies are “made up in order to play on the emotions of the voter and get them to sign,” Villegas said.

Iglesias and Villegas said the accusations are trumped-up efforts led by the Police Officers Association, angered that the two elected officials voted earlier this year against granting police officers a $25 million pay raise Those pay increases are coming out of Measure X, a ballot initiative voters passed last November that increased sales tax from 7.75 percent to 9.25 percent – the highest in Orange County. The tax was billed as a way to maintain an effective 911 response time, address homelessness, fix streets, and maintain parks, youth and senior services, generating approximately $60 million annually.

“I stood with the residents of Santa Ana and was fiscally responsible when I took the vote against raising wages that the city cannot afford,” Villegas said.

Both council members said the Police Officers Association is behind the recall efforts, seeking to push them out as punishment.

“The word on the street is that the one who dominates and controls City Hall is the police union and (union President) Gerry Serrano,” Iglesias said.

In an email Tuesday afternoon, Serrano addressed only the recall of Iglesias and not Villegas. He did not address the allegation that the police union is behind the recalls, but said the effort is supported by registered Santa Ana voters.

“The families and businesses in our city deserve a professional elected official that will work to make Santa Ana a safer place to live, visit and work. Based on the will of the voters and her actions, at this time we are evaluating this as it progresses,” Serrano wrote.

Former Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez called the recall petitions “bullying tactics” by the police union.

“The Police Officers Association is trying to flex its muscle because council members chose to go a different route,” Martinez said. “It’s a small world. We all know what’s going on. We all know who’s behind it.”

Mark Rosen, the attorney representing the committees that filed documents with the city to initiate the recalls, said that the police union is not spearheading the efforts but does support them.

“The POA doesn’t like them. No question about that,” Rosen said, referring to Iglesias and Villegas.

Citizens who support the recall effort did not reply to requests for comment that were relayed to them via Rosen and a public relations marketing firm, Presidio Strategic Communications in Anaheim, that’s been hired as a consultant by pro recall forces.

The petitions have been denied more than once in City Hall on different technicalities. One problem has been the failure to use specific the ZIP code of people who allegedly signed the petition. Another issue is the submission of a petition by someone who is not registered to vote in Santa Ana.

Following three failed attempts, the pro-recall group Neighbors Supporting the Recall of Juan Villegas is seeking an order from the Orange County Superior Court that would mandate the city to accept its petition. A hearing on that request is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 9. Meanwhile, a petition filed by the Neighbors Supporting the Recall of Cecilia Iglesias is pending following another couple of failed submissions, leading Rosen, the committees’ attorney, to blame city officials for what he said are delaying tactics.

“They’re doing everything they can to stop these recalls from moving forward,” Rosen said. “They’re nitpicking.”

Santa Ana City Clerk Daisy Gomez said the city is not stalling. Back-and-forth between cities and recall petitioners is common until the documents are done correctly, she said.

“I’ve done this for 14 years. I’ve never had a perfect petition the first time,” said Gomez, who recently was hired in Santa Ana after working in the city clerk offices of Long Beach and Santa Clara. “The election code is really clear about what needs to be on the petition. If it’s one inch too short of what they require, (we) can’t accept it. They’re very specific.”

While a hearing is pending on the Villegas’ recall petition, Iglesias said she plans to contact the Orange County District Attorney to look into whether the 35 signatures gathered to start the recall against her were obtained fraudulently. Iglesias says she has signed affidavits from 11 of the 35 petitioners saying they were misled into signing.

Iglesias, a former Santa Ana School Board member, joined the City Council last November. She works for the conservative California Policy Center. Villegas, a councilman since 2016, has worked for 29 years in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as a Sheriff Special Officer.

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